While there’s no smoking gun, Katherine Gregor’s story in today’s Austin Chronicle gives the best forensic analysis to date on how the Northcross Wal-Mart Supercenter proposal wound its way through city channels with no opportunity for public input until the site plan was approved.
The revelation that city manager Toby Futrell’s husband is employed by Wal-Mart is duly notable (she announced yesterday that she was recusing herself from the case), but I think it’s much more troubling that no city official can explain why the “big box” ordinance and the adoption of improved commercial design standards were hung up in review at the same time the single largest store in Travis County was being approved.
As council member Brewster McCracken stated, “I don't know which would be more alarming, that they knew about it or that they didn't know about it."
Thursday, December 07, 2006
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1 comment:
So does this mean that Toby has a future as a "greeter" for the new store after she resigns?
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